Italy’s shipbuilder Fincantieri has added a pair of cruise ship contracts to its order portfolio after those it has already signed with Viking, in a newbuilding deal worth between €500m and €1bln.
The giant Italian yard announced on Friday that it has sealed a deal for the construction of two cruise vessels, based on the successful features of the previous ships, which Fincantieri has already built for this shipowner.
“The value of this agreement, subject to financing and other terms and conditions, is considered as large,” Fincantieri said.
The vessels are expected to be delivered in 2028 and 2029, the yard said, without providing any further details about the exact period.
The new vessels will be placed in the small cruise ship segment, the gross tonnage is about 54,300 tons and they will accommodate 998 passengers on board in 499 cabins.
The Italian yard believes that this deal is an evidence of the full recovery of the cruise market, with passenger volumes returned to pre-pandemic level and the positive effects on Fincantieri’s solid commercial pipeline.
“This is evidenced by other significant orders signed by the Group earlier this year,” the yard explained.
As it is also reported by the yard, this new order also demonstrates the strong and long-lasting relationship between Fincantieri and Viking – dating back to 2012 – and whose collaboration reaches, as of today, to a total of 20 vessels, including the two purpose-built expedition units of the subsidiary Vard.
Pierroberto Folgiero, chief executive and managing director of Fincantieri, said: “This order further cements our relationship with Viking and establishes Fincantieri as the partner of choice for ship owners looking to build vessels fit for both current and future energy sources.
“Together, Fincantieri and Viking are leading the shipping industry in the path to net zero. With this contract, Fincantieri confirms its strong order pipeline and its reputation as a long-term partner of excellence within the cruise sector, as stated in our 2023-27 Industrial Plan”.
